Application of very-high-frequency (VHF) method to ceramic insulators

A VHF method (30-300 MHz) is applied to identify faults and defects in ceramic insulators. Insulators which exhibit internal cracks and fractures are used as test samples. Different artificial conditions are introduced to the test samples according to the IEC 507 standard under wet and dry conditions. Using a cascading signal processing technique and analysis methods such as FFT and fractal analysis, VHF signals acquired by digital scope are processed and analyzed. This study indicates that the fractal dimension can be used as an effective tool to isolate the common faulty conditions found on the ceramic insulators. The results from this study strongly support the prospect of using a VHF method to monitor the physical condition of ceramic insulators.

Fuzzy logic based metric in software testing

How to provide cost-effective strategies for Software Testing has been one of the research focuses in Software Engineering for a long time. Many researchers in Software Engineering have addressed the effectiveness and quality metric of Software Testing, and many interesting results have been obtained. However, one issue of paramount importance in software testing – the intrinsic imprecise and uncertain relationships within testing metrics – is left unaddressed. To this end, a new quality and effectiveness measurement based on fuzzy logic is proposed. The software quality features and analogy-based reasoning are discussed, which can deal with quality and effectiveness consistency between different test projects. Experimental results are also provided to verify the proposed measurement.

Study of acoustic emission (AE) caused by high voltage insulators

Acoustic emission (AE) study based on the acoustic signal ranges from 30MHz to 300MHz has been performed to diagnose the deterioration of insulation level in outdoor ceramic insulator. Different weather conditions combining with artificially created pollution were produced in laboratory and measurements were recorded over a fixed period of time. Pollution due to fine dust particles has been created according to IEC standard under wet and dry conditions. Samples that exhibit internal cracks and fracture were used in this study. The collected AE signals were sampled and analysed using fractal theory. The results of this study have clearly demonstrated the prospect of using AE technique to monitor the working condition of outdoor insulator.

Emission-based condition monitoring technique for ZnO surge arrester

In this paper, electromagnetic emission at the frequency range of 30MHz to 300MHz is used to detect physical defects on the 22kV outdoor zinc-oxide (ZnO) surge arresters. Different weather conditions combining with artificially created pollution were produced in a laboratory environment and measurements were recorded over a fixed period of time. Pollution due to fine dust particles has been created according to IEC standard under both wet and dry conditions. The aim is to detect the defects (bushing damage) when the surge arrester is subjected to various weather and surface condition. The collected electromagnetic signals were sampled and analyzed using analysis tools such as the autocorrelation coefficient and Wigner-Ville distribution. The results from the present paper indicate that electromagnetic radiation from the defects on surge arrester combining with the adequate analysis tools can be used as a valuable diagnostic tool for power system operator.

Multimedia campaign on a shoestring : promoting 'Stay Active - Stay Independent' among seniors

Issue addressed: This paper describes a multimedia campaign implemented in rural New South Wales on a budget smaller than that typical of many published campaigns. The 'To Be Young at Heart- Stay Active Stay Independent' (SASI) campaign was one arm of a multi- strategic program to reduce falls among seniors by promoting physical activity. Methods: This 18-month campaign used social marketing techniques. Central to this campaign was strong formative research, significant use of corporate, community and media partnerships and a detailed, strategic distribution plan. Campaign reach was evaluated by a community intercept survey. Results: A variety of high quality information, education and communication (IEC) resources were developed. Overall, the campaign cost was calculated at $191,000. The actual cost of $42,000 (excluding staff time) was used to generate almost double this amount in sponsorship ($82,000). In the mid-campaign reach survey, 36% recognised the campaign and attributed this to television (58%), newspaper (33%), poster (13%) and bus-back advertising (8%). Of these respondents, 21% reported seeking information about physical activity, 33% reported increased intention to be more active, and 22% reported becoming more active as a result of the campaign. Conclusions: It is possible to develop and deliver a well designed, multimedia campaign on a limited budget by using sound formative research and engaging community and corporate partners to generate sponsorship. An effective distribution strategy is crucial and may require additional partnerships at State or national level.

Victorian index of estuary condition : recommended themes and measures

Deakin University was engaged by the Department of Sustainability and Environment to develop an Index of Estuary Condition (IEC) for evaluating the environmental condition of Victorian estuaries. The Index will ultimately complement the existing Index of Stream Condition (ISC) by providing a consistent statewide assessment of the environmental condition of estuaries. This will better enable:

• Estuarine condition to be reported at regional, state and national levels.

• Prioritisation of resource allocation.

• Strategic evaluation of management interventions in estuaries.

Workshops involving participants with expertise in a variety of disciplines were convened to integrate learnings from assessment programs currently being developed interstate and overseas. This report synthesises and builds on the output from those workshops which:

• Identified key components (themes) of estuaries that contribute to estuarine condition.

• Contributed to development of a broad conceptual model for Victorian estuaries

• Identified possible measures of each theme

In keeping with the sub-indices of the ISC, six themes were identified for use in the IEC: Physical form, Hydrology, Water quality, Sediment, Flora and Fauna. Several measures within each theme are recommended to assess estuary condition.

Implementation of particular measures in the IEC partly depends on the investment required to both collect and interpret the required data. With regard to data collection, each measure was assessed according to whether there is an established sampling procedure, how frequently data need to be collected and the level of expertise required for collection and processing. For interpreting the data, measures were scored on whether baseline condition is established and whether descriptions and scores are developed which reflect the extent of deviation from that condition. These scores were used to indicate which measures are feasible to implement immediately and which require further investigation.

A trial of the recommended IEC measures in a selection of estuaries is recommended as it would provide an opportunity to test the measures and their suitability for application statewide. It is suggested that the trial is conducted in estuaries subject to various levels of threats within each of the four estuary classes described by Barton et al. (2008)

Corporate governance and information technology : findings from an exploratory survey of Australian organizations

An exploratory survey (n = 57) of the Melbourne Chapter of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association was conducted to ascertain the attitudes and practices relating to corporate governance and the corporate governance of Information Technology (CGIT) in Australia. The survey found the respondents had clear views on corporate governance but most were not engaged with it, the organizational approach to corporate governance and its expected benefits was largely conformance oriented, awareness of CGIT management frameworks and associated standards was high but implementation was not widespread, and although the CGIT standard ISOIIEC 38500 was not widely implemented IT practitioners agreed with its principles. We conclude that the value of the CGIT standard has yet to be recognised by executives in Australia.

Multi-objective image segmentation with an interactive evolutionary computation approach

In this paper, a multi-objective image segmentation approach with an Interactive Evolutionary Computation (IEC)-based framework is presented. Two objectives, i.e., the overall deviation and the connectivity measure, are optimized simultaneously using a mu